How a thief escaped because some one gave the alarm to the master of the house, who had nearly overtaken and caught the thief.

این بدان ماند که شخصی دزد دید ** در وثاق اندر پی او می‏دوید

This (behaviour of Iblís) is like that (which is told in the following story), how a certain man saw a thief in the house and ran after him.

تا دو سه میدان دوید اندر پیش ** تا در افگند آن تعب اندر خویش‏

He ran after him (the length of) two or three fields, till the fatigue threw him into a sweat.

اندر آن حمله که نزدیک آمدش ** تا بدو اندر جهد دریابدش‏2795

At the moment when, rushing on, he had come so near to him that he might spring upon him and seize him,

دزد دیگر بانگ کردش که بیا ** تا ببینی این علامات بلا

The second thief cried out to him, “Come, that you may see these signs of calamity.

زود باش و باز گرد ای مرد کار ** تا ببینی حال اینجا زار زار

Be quick and turn back, O man of (prompt) action, that you may see (how) very pitiable (is) the state of things here.”

گفت باشد کان طرف دزدی بود ** گر نگردم زود این بر من رود

He (the householder) said (to himself), “Maybe a thief is yonder: if I do not return at once, this (fate) will befall me.

در زن و فرزند من دستی زند ** بستن این دزد سودم کی کند

He may lay hands upon my wife and child, (and in that case) how would it profit me to bind this thief (whom I am pursuing)?

این مسلمان از کرم می‏خواندم ** گر نگردم زود پیش آید ندم‏2800

This Moslem is calling me in kindness: unless I return quickly, repentance will befall (me).”

بر امید شفقت آن نیک خواه ** دزد را بگذاشت باز آمد به راه‏

In (confident) hope of the compassion of that well-disposed (friend), he left the thief and again set off (in another direction).

گفت ای یار نکو احوال چیست ** این فغان و بانگ تو از دست کیست‏

“O good friend,” said he, “what is the matter? By whose hand (violence) is this lamentation and outcry of yours (caused)?”

گفت اینک بین نشان پای دزد ** این طرف رفته ست دزد زن بمزد

“Look here,” said (the other). “See the thief's footprints! The pimping thief has gone this way. [ “Look here,” said (the other). “See the thief's footprints! The thief whose wife is for hire (who prostitutes his wife to other men) has gone this way.]

نک نشان پای دزد قلتبان ** در پی او رو بدین نقش و نشان‏

Look at the cuckold thief's footprints! Follow him by means of these marks and traces.”

گفت ای ابله چه می‏گویی مرا ** من گرفته بودم آخر مر و را2805

He answered, “O fool, what are you telling me? Why, I had (as good as) caught him,

دزد را از بانگ تو بگذاشتم ** من تو خر را آدمی پنداشتم‏

(But) at your cry I let the thief go. I deemed you, ass (as you are), a (reasonable) man.

این چه ژاژست و چه هرزه ای فلان ** من حقیقت یافتم چه بود نشان‏

What silly gabble and nonsense is this, O fellow? I (had) found the reality: what (use to me) is the clue?”

گفت من از حق نشانت می‏دهم ** این نشان است از حقیقت آگهم‏

He replied, “I am giving you a clue to the real (thing). This is the clue; I am acquainted with the reality.”

گفت طراری تو یا خود ابلهی ** بلکه تو دزدی و زین حال آگهی‏

He (the householder) said, “You are an artful knave or else you are a fool; nay, you are a thief and cognisant of this affair.

خصم خود را می‏کشیدم من کشان ** تو رهانیدی و را کاینک نشان‏2810

I was (on the point of) dragging my adversary along, (when) you let him escape, saying (to me), ‘Here are (his) traces.’”

تو جهت گو من برونم از جهات ** در وصال آیات کو یا بینات‏

You speak of (external) relations, (but) I transcend (all) relations. In union (with God) where are signs or evidences?

صنع بیند مرد محجوب از صفات ** در صفات آن است کاو گم کرد ذات‏

The man that is debarred (from the Essence) sees the (Divine) action (as proceeding) from the Attributes: he that has lost the Essence is in (confined to) the Attributes.

واصلان چون غرق ذاتند ای پسر ** کی کنند اندر صفات او نظر

Inasmuch as those united (with God) are absorbed in the Essence, O son, how should they look upon His Attributes?

چون که اندر قعر جو باشد سرت ** کی به رنگ آب افتد منظرت‏

When your head is at the bottom of the river, how will your eye fall on the colour of the water?

ور به رنگ آب باز آیی ز قعر ** پس پلاسی بستدی دادی تو شعر2815

And if you come back from the bottom to the colour of the water, then you have received a coarse woollen garment and given (fine) fur (in exchange).

طاعت عامه گناه خاصگان ** وصلت عامه حجاب خاص دان‏

The piety of the vulgar is sin in the elect; the unitive state of the vulgar is a veil in the elect.

مر وزیری را کند شه محتسب ** شه عدوی او بود نبود محب‏

If the king make a vizier a police inspector, the king is his enemy, he is not his friend.

هم گناهی کرده باشد آن وزیر ** بی‏سبب نبود تغیر ناگزیر

Also, that vizier will have committed some offence: necessarily change (for the worse) is not (does not occur) without cause.

آن که ز اول محتسب بد خود و را ** بخت و روزی آن بده ست از ابتدا

He that has been a police inspector from the first—to him that (office) has been fortune and livelihood from the beginning;

لیک آن کاول وزیر شه بده ست ** محتسب کردن سبب فعل بد است‏2820

But he that was first the king's vizier—evil-doing is the cause of making him a police inspector.

چون ترا شه ز آستانه پیش خواند ** باز سوی آستانه باز راند

When the King has called you from the threshold into His presence, and again has driven you back to the threshold,

تو یقین می‏دان که جرمی کرده‏ای ** جبر را از جهل پیش آورده‏ای‏

Know for sure that you have committed a sin and in folly have brought forward (pleaded) compulsion (as the cause),

که مرا روزی و قسمت این بده ست ** پس چرا دی بودت آن دولت به دست‏

Saying, “This was my (predestined) portion and lot.” (But) then, why was that good luck in your hands yesterday?

قسمت خود خود بریدی تو ز جهل ** قسمت خود را فزاید مرد اهل‏

Through folly you yourself have cut off your lot. The worthy man augments his lot.

قصه‏ی منافقان و مسجد ضرار ساختن ایشان‏

The story of the Hypocrites and their building the Mosque of Opposition.

یک مثال دیگر اندر کژروی ** شاید ار از نقل قرآن بشنوی‏2825

It is fit if you will hearken to another parable concerning perversity (taken) from the narrative in the Qur’án.

این چنین کژ بازیی در جفت و طاق ** با نبی می‏باختند اهل نفاق‏

The Hypocrites played against the Prophet (just) such a crooked game at odd and even (as was played by Iblís against Mu‘áwiya),

کز برای عز دین احمدی ** مسجدی سازیم و بود آن مرتدی‏

Saying, “Let us build a mosque for the glory of the Mohammedan religion”; and that was (really) apostasy (on their part).

این چنین کژ بازیی می‏باختند ** مسجدی جز مسجد او ساختند

Such a crooked game were they playing: they built a mosque other than his mosque.